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Travelers Championship notebook: Watson says caddy 'knows I love him'

on June 17, 2014

ALL IS FORGIVEN: In last year's final round, Bubba Watson was leading the tournament and standing on the 16th tee, and his caddie, Teddy Scott, handed him a 9-iron. Watson wanted to hit an 8-iron, but Scott, taking Watson's emotion and adrenaline into account, talked his player into hitting the 9-iron.

Splash.

Now, the 16th at the TPC River Highlands is a par-3, 180-yard hole which is basically all carry over a lake. Watson's shot didn't miss by much, but it missed. And the CBS TV microphones picked up Watson chiding Scott, saying, "That's the club? That's the club, Teddy?" Over the next couple of weeks, Scott received hundreds of positive emails and texts while Watson got probably twice as many negative comments regarding his outburst. Since then, the two have made amends.

"No, we're all good. I gave him a raise trying to make him happy so he wouldn't quit," Watson said Tuesday in a pre-tournament interview. "We've been together nine years. Teddy knows I love him. He knows what my heart is. He knows I would never yell at him. He knows that he was the one that wanted me to hit that club, and I gave it to him.

"He believed this was the right club and I thought I hit it pretty good, and it drew, came up short. ... All the media attention, people writing him, people texting him saying how bad I am as a person ... Teddy, he forgave me. I told him I looked like a jerk, and I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have done it that way. In the heat of the moment, we do things that we don't like."

ALSO MAKING HIS PRO DEBUT ¦: Cameron Wilson, from Rowayton of Norwalk, isn't the only one making his professional debut this week at the 2014 Travelers Championship. Oliver Goss, the 14th-ranked amateur in the world from the University of Tennessee, also turned pro this week and got a sponsor's exemption from tournament director Nathan Grube.

"Honestly, I'm too happy to be here," Goss said Tuesday. "I couldn't thank the Travelers enough, they're a great sponsor. I couldn't thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to make my professional debut here this week."

In addition, Patrick Rodgers (Stanford) and Bobby Wyatt (Alabama) are also making their pro debuts here.

"Travelers is so special for me," said Rodgers, the No. 1-ranked amateur player and winner of the Jack Nicklaus Award. "I can't thank Mr. (Jay) Fishman, Mr. (Andy) Bessette and Nathan Grube enough for the opportunity. I couldn't be more excited to get going."

Likewise, Wyatt.

"I'm thrilled to be here," he said. "It' so exciting to have the opportunity to play in the Travelers Championship. I'm really looking forward to getting started on Thursday."

PRO-AM PAIRINGS: If you're coming up to the tournament for the annual celebrity pro-am, here are the featured pairings:

Koepka, a 24-year-old from Wellington, Fla., finished tied for fourth at the U.S. Open in Pinehurst, N.C., last weekend by shooting a 1-over par.

WISE ADVICE: Erik Compton received more text messages than he could count after finishing in a tie for second at the U.S. Open with a 1-under par. Compton, a 34-year-old two-time heart-transplant recipient, also had plenty of conversations with people from outside golf before the major tournament.

That list included none other than Ray Allen, the former UConn basketball star and current Miami Heat guard.

"He and I talked a little before I went to the U.S. Open about just visualizing shots," Compton said Tuesday. "He's one of the greatest 3-point shooters of all-time, and I had been struggling a little bit with the putter prior to the (tournament).

"A lot of greats in sports have reached out. I'm not going to go through a list of names, but it's really cool to have a lot of guys who have been very encouraging on my story."

Compton, who is from Miami, said he occasionally plays golf with Allen and NBA Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning when he's home. Mourning, a kidney-transplant recipient, works in player development for the Heat.